Robert Rodriguez and the El Mariachi Concierto 

As filmmakers, we live and die by the artistic medium of filmmaking.

The hardest step is the first step when it comes to starting anything. Unsure about committing because success isn't guaranteed. As established as he is now, it was the same for Robert Rodriguez, but all it took was a little encouragement.

• In 1991, a short film called Bedhead gained enough attention to urge the filmmaker to make a serious attempt at filmmaking as a career.
• In 1992, that same filmmaker releases a feature-length film for the Toronto International Film Festival.
• In 1993, that same feature-length film won the Audience Award when it released for the Sundance Film Festival.

That feature-length film catapulted his career. This is the film that prompted the book 'Rebel Without a Crew'.

This was the film where a 23 year-old Robert Rodriguez took the thesis and turned it into method. This is:

El Mariachi.

The first guitar-case-chasing, mariachi-playing, drug-lords-with-guns-shooting, neo-western action movie ever! (Don't quote me on that)

This movie is the nuts.

The Nuts

I heard about this film for the same reasons it received such high praise – it was done with a small budget. In this case, “small” is an understatement. Not only was it that, but it was also the first feature-length film by one of my favorite filmmakers: Robert Rodriguez.

From the choices made in shot composition, to the pacing and flow of the cuts, the sudden speed ramps, the crash zooms in and out, and the shaky, handheld shots, it was evident that the filmmaker then was unpolished, but you can also *argue* that those shots were a matter of artistic expression and decision making… Or were they?

Yet these were signs of authentic style and uniqueness. A vision within the work that gave it promise and potential. It's the true essence of a filmmaker; with my only qualm being: if only there was more money to refine it… but that's why we make movies, right?

SPOILER not really: After sending it to multiple studios and constantly getting rejected, El Mariachi was eventually distributed by Columbia Pictures where they invested $200k for the post-production costs, marketing and distribution. Then the movie screened at Sundance and other film festivals.

The Production

15-minutes in and *BAM* I'm having a good time! Sprinkled with quirky, comedic segments, El Mariachi at it's core is a story about a travelling guitar player wanting to make a living by playing music and being his own “one-man mariachi band” (Pretty neat that the story mirrors the production), but with the accidental switch of guitar cases with a criminal, gets himself involved with a drug lord.

Originally meant to be sold to the Spanish home video market, and after made into a sizzle reel – in order for Rodriguez to receive funding for bigger projects, it was a movie that was not meant to be a hit. Corners needed to be cut in order to make the production fit within the budget, and Rodriguez' versatility played a key role to make it happen… and so he was every key role.

Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Rodriguez was everywhere. Along with the support from fellow producer, lead actor, and high school friend Carlos Gallardo who's hometown was Acuña Coahuila and had the assets, locations, and resources (some being a ranch, a bus driver, and a damn bus), the stage was set. All that's left was to film.

They had an amateur cast (mostly consisting of locals) that acted as the crew in between takes. The jail in the opening scene was the local jail, and the guards were not actors (this saved money that would've been used for costume). Modified squibs in the form of condoms (ha!) were used for blood splats. The turtle on the road at the beginning just happened to walk by. There was no slate. Instead, Rodriguez shot the film silent and had the actors in frame display the film roll number with their fingers at the start of each roll.

From 1:35 onwards is a sequence of cuts that I thought was just the nuts.

Most of the shots were done with a zoom lens to lessen repositioning of the camera, and done in one take. No reshoots were needed as Rodriguez was already editing the film in his head while shooting it.

To raise some of the funds, Robert Rodriguez took part in drug trials at a local medical research facility.

The Legacy

El Mariachi showcases what could be done when the will of a filmmaker is met with a little bit of luck,
and given 14 days to shoot with a $7000 budget, all of which Rodriguez reveals the tricks and techniques used by providing a Ten Minute Film School extra within each DVD release of his films. This inspired a generation to shoot more films in an independent, solo, guerrilla-styled manner.

Today he's a renowned veteran within the world of film, but if you didn't know about him until now, you'll surely know his movies. With El Mariachi's success, Robert Rodriguez went on to:

• direct Desperado (El Mariachi's Sequel)
• Collaborate with Quentin Tarantino and direct From Dusk Till Dawn
• direct the Spy Kids movies
• direct Sin City in collaboration with Frank Miller
• and direct The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (which I think is funny that it released on the same year as Sin City – talk about variety!)

To top it off, Rodriguez also had a talk show in 2014 called The Director's Chair where he interviews other well-renowned filmmakers to talk about their careers and techniques. (Some notable ones being: Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, John Carpenter, Michael Mann, Robert Zemeckis, Francis Ford Coppola, and Barbra Streisand (and Barbra – what? She made movies? I didn't know… oops))

As much as I admire the charm, care, and passion Robert Rodriguez has placed in each of his films, I just as much appreciate that this one filmmaker has been looking out for every independent filmmaker since the start of his career.

Like El Mariachi once said, “My voice is my life.”

Robert Rodriguez was going to make his film no matter what. This was how he wanted to use his voice, and together with his first feature-length film, he made something clear:

It's not about if you can or can't. It's about if you're willing to do what it takes regardless.